@glitch >when the layperson talks about the three major desktop OSes
Laypersons often incorrectly think a kernel is an OS? Who would have thought?: https://www.gnu.org/gnu/gnu-linux-faq.html#osvskernel https://www.gnu.org/gnu/gnu-linux-faq.html#somanyright

>Something heavily relying on GNU tools at the time
GNU is not a mere collection of tools, it is a complete OS, although the needed tools for that OS were written: https://www.gnu.org/gnu/gnu-linux-faq.html#tools

>so the GNU project insisted it had to be prefixed to the name so they would seem more relevant
If you want to talk about relevancy, although a kernel is required, which particular kernel is usually pretty irrelevant.

Most software doesn't know or care if Linux happens to be the kernel, as most software tends to interface with the OS via libraries rather than directly to the kernel via SYSCALLs.

The base library of the system that tends to carry out the required SYSCALLs is the libc and most versions of GNU/Linux use the best libc (glibc), which is designed to be portable between many kernels.

GNU/Hurd is nowhere near finished, but if I remember correctly, 60%+ of software in the Debian GNU/Linux repos will compile and run on GNU/Hurd with no changes required and that is likely to increase to at least 80%+ once more bugs are fixed.

>No OS since the early-to-mid 2000s has been just the coreutils anyway.
GNU is not just the coreutils, that is only one GNU package: https://www.gnu.org/software/

No OS has ever has been just Linux either, after all, even Linus agreed that just a kernel gets you nowhere: https://www.gnu.org/gnu/gnu-linux-faq.html#linusagreed


>Most practical desktop OSes have been mostly their DEs like KDE and Gnome.
Although the DE is what the user sees, DE's rely heavily on other software and libraries to function, so "KDE/Linux" is very misleading - as you can't put together just KDE and Linux and get a working OS.

If KDE cries out for mention, you should write: GNU/KDE/Linux: https://www.gnu.org/gnu/gnu-linux-faq.html#many


>the KDE people didn't mobilize an army of reply guys to tell you why it's GNU/Linux.
GNU hasn't put the slightest bit of effort into mobilizing an army, freedom enjoyers like me have decided on their own to spread the good word of freedom despite how hard people try to prevent others from learning about GNU and the free software movement (instead aiming to steer the users towards the proprietary degeneracy of "open source").

If it was common to incorrectly call KDE, "Linux", there would be an army of interjectors all the same.